Eye to Eye
by GraySkyeMourning
Summary: How did Sarah's furious reaction really affect Walt... and what outcome did it have on Johnny? "Finding Rachel" missing moment.


**Disclaimer- The Dead Zone was written by Stephen King. USA owns all besides that. **

**Author Notes:**

**This is my first Dead Zone fic and it's a vignette at that. I don't expect you to rejoice and heap praise. I'm not after that. I don't think this is very good, but I did think about it a lot after watching the episode. This may have hints of slash, but it was never meant to be that way. **

**Summary: How did Sarah's furious reaction really affect Walt... and what outcome did it have on Johnny? "Finding Rachel" missing moment.**

**-GraySkyeMourning**

**-----**

**Eye to Eye **

I've not always been on the same foot as Walt, but when it comes down to what's important, I think we usually see eye to eye. It took a while for him to get used to the idea of my being a part of Sarah's life again, and I know it took me just as long to get adjusted to the fact I was no longer Sarah's fiancee, and that Walt had taken my place. I don't blame Sarah for that. She waited as long as she could. She needed to move on... and she did. I guess what happened just had to happen. I don't know.

But I guess when it comes down to the wire, Walt and I are okay with each other. We're never going to be the closest friends, Walt and me, but we see each other at the same level, and I'm okay with that. I know Sarah loves him, and I love Sarah too much to _not _be able to stand him. He's a good man, and he keeps her safe. I understand that. And although I tell myself this over and over again, I know that underneath I want him to be someone that Sarah hates, that Sarah will leave once confronted with the truth about who Walt really is. I'm jealous of him, and no matter what I say I'm always going to resent him for taking her away from me. I can't do anything about that. I don't want to do anything about that.

But when I walked into my house and saw Walt standing there behind the television, I knew we weren't about to see eye to eye. I have respect for Walt, as I know he does for me. I think he likes me even more now then before I pulled him from his coma after the mind shaft - although I think he would hate me if he found out what I told him in his office was not a dream. I like having his respect. It makes life easier when my visions start to involve people other than Bruce and Purdy. But seeining him in my home unnerved me. I had already been expecting someone to attack me when I found the door ajar, but Walt standing there scared me even more.

"Hey, Johnny," he said. But he didn't say it in the usual way. Even as he showed me the tape, and read me my Miranda Rights, I knew there was something wrong. The usual Walt would have been puzzled, flamboyant even. He would have slugged my shoulder and demanded the truth. This Walt was resigned to the fate he was forcing me to, unwilling to even look in my eyes as I stared up at him. I wanted to ask how he could even suspect me. I knew it was his job, and I hate myself for admitting this, but I thought our friendship would somehow mend the wrongs against me and hold him off from arresting me. But as I stood, and finally met his eyes, I realized something: he was angry at me, and this was what had made him arrest me.

He didn't touch me. I think he knew I knew something was wrong, because he looked at me in a very dirty way, as if accusing me of something. I turned away from him, angry at this, angry at what was happening. My mind was mostly preoccupied with thoughts of Rachel - _this isn't true, it can't be true, it's a dream, no way -_ but in the back of my mind I was questioning Walt. I truly believe he would have held off another day or so if Sarah had not hit him.

The full truth of what was happening seemed to hit him as we pulled up to the courthouse. He looked out at the cameras surrounding the car and then at me. He seemed to see for the first time, and he opened his mouth to speak, but did not. I told him to handcuff me. I knew he was atonished and had never meant for such a thing to come about. He looked scared for a moment, and I knew he was imagining Sarah and her reaction when he got home and confessed to arresting me. His anger evaporated then, and the Walt I knew came back to the car. He looked startled.

Then he slapped the handcuffs on my wrists gently, and I was pulled into my vision. I didn't expect to come to stand in their kitchen. I looked around for sign of life, but there was none, and then Walt stomped into the kitchen, buttoning his last button and muttering. Sarah suddenly walked in, talking, and I listened.

They were arguing about me. It was my turn to be startled. I had never imagined, for any second, that my name made it into the Bannerman household when it wasn't the usual discussion of police events. Okay, so maybe this was a police activity, but I didn't expect Sarah's face to be so angry. She looked and sounded livid, furious at the thought Walt could even consider accusing me. She surprised me. I wouldn't have expected such a spirited fight from her, not for me against Walt.

I guess I didn't realize how much she still cared enough to fight for me.

And when she slapped him, I secretly wanted to cheer. "Good one," I mummured as Walt exited the house, furious. Sarah appeared stunned and collaspsed into a chair, staring at his retreating back. I reached out a hand to touch her, and suddenly Walt's hand was on my wrist, and he was examining me closely. Confused, I looked at him.

"You saw it, didn't you?" he asked. It wasn't a harsh question, and it didn't seem to bother him what I had seen. He looked tired. "Yeah, Johnny... Sarah really does care about you, you know. Don't dismiss her." He touched his cheek. "I'm not sorry for suspecting you. You have no alibi. I believe you, Johnny, honest to God I do, but this is what I have to do. This is part of my job. Our friendship does not change that. I don't suspect you, not really... but I have to do this. I can't not do it. You understand that, don't you, Johnny?"

And I did. And it explained his actions. And I understood him.

"Yeah, Walt," I said, sighing, and wishing that things could be different. "I understand."


End file.
